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With well over 100 A-list celebrities set to descend on Toronto for the 38th annual event, the city’s nightlife scene is set to explode with loads of private invite-only industry parties, charity events and special programming at the coolest downtown venues. Many of the festival’s 288 feature films have a celebration, big or small, attached to it.

“By way of definition, a festival is a party and a celebration,” said Debra Goldblatt-Sadowski of Rock-it Promotions Inc.

“The people that are coming here to Toronto are coming here to work, to promote their films, to make sure people find out about their films. They’re also here to have a good time,” Goldblatt-Sadowski said.

TIFF will take the lead with its opening-night gala for the film, The Fifth Estate, a thriller about WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, starring Benedict Cumberbatch.

About 3,500 are expected for the gala event, to be held at Maple Leaf Square at York St. and Bremner Blvd., which will have an “artsy tech-savvy hacker theme” in concert with the film, including installations such as an interactive graffiti wall and jugglers spinning LED devices called pixel poi, said Aaron Campbell, director of program and events services..

The closing-night gala — with 2,000 expected — will be held at Roy Thomson Hall with a 1970s Motown theme in sync with Life of Crime, based on the novel The Switch by Elmore Leonard, who recently died at 87.

TIFF will also throw its annual Canada Goose party to honour Canadian film and a fete for the City to City program, which has chosen Athens as this year’s focus.

“As the world’s largest public film festival, we embrace not just the talent and the industry but also Toronto,” Campbell said.

Natasha Koifman, head of NKPR Inc., estimated that in addition to the TIFF events, there will be more than 100 parties during the 11-day festival. Once again, NKPR is organizing a star-studded charity event: On Sept. 8 from 2 to 5 p.m., director/screenwriter Paul Haggis’ fifth annual Artists for Peace and Justice event, which will feature the cast of Third Person, including Olivia Wilde, James Franco, Liam Neeson and Mila Kunis at the home of Roots founder Michael Budman and Diane Bald. The event raises money for Haitian orphans.

“We work on many of these events for a good nine months. As soon as the festival ends, we get a few weeks break and then we start up again. It takes a lot of planning,” Koifman said.

That means 18- to 20-hour days leading up to the festival and during TIFF itself, Koifman said. “I get home at 2 or 3 in the morning and I’m up again at 6 in the morning. Even before the festival starts, I lay out all my clothes. You’re going, going, going.”

“You want to make sure it’s the best experience for everybody. It’s stressful for the talent. They land in Toronto, they’re not familiar with the city and their itinerary is jammed packed from morning until the end of the day. They’re getting asked the same questions over and over again and it’s hard to be ‘on’ all the time,” Koifman said.

“As much as they (actors) love their careers and they’re very fortunate to be working in this industry, it definitely has its challenges. I’ve seen tempers rise during the festival. It (TIFF) doesn’t always bring out in the best in people. If we can make their lives a little easier, that’s what we want to do.”

Many Toronto night spots are planning TIFF events, including the Spoke Club at 600 King St. W., a private-members club that features one of the most popular rooftops in the city, including the annual Nikki Beach pop-up theme club from Sept. 5 to 8.

For the fifth year, Soho House at 318 Wellington St. W. will play host to a series of industry cocktail parties, sponsored by Grey Goose and featuring recipes from Joe McCanta, the vodka brand’s “global ambassador.”

The Drake Hotel at 1150 Queen St. W. will hold its Down the Line opening-night party from 9 p.m. to 4 a.m., including free (and real) tattoos in Room 222.

The Festival Music House is a two-night invite-only showcase for new Canadian music on Sept. 8 and 9 at Adelaide Hall at 250 Adelaide St. W., featuring performers Dragonette, Diamond Rings, The Darcys, July Talk and Maylee Todd.

Storys at 11 Duncan St. will host the annual One X One party for the charity founded by Matt Damon, with special guest Patricia Arquette, on Sept. 7.

Dutch brewer Grolsch will throw an open house at the corner of Pearl St. and John St. from Sept. 6 to 9, the opening weekend, featuring entertainment, art installations and offerings from Toronto food trucks.

Industry events include Celebrate Ontario on Sept. 6 at the Carlu, sponsored by the Ontario Media Development Corp.

Of course, some parties featuring Hollywood glitterati are so exclusive, you are unlikely to hear about them until the morning after.

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